Common shortcomings of existing raft inflation valves are particularly shown by U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,374 issued Jun. 17, 1986. First of all, such valves have a high profile wherein various passageways intersect, thus complicating its control and operation. The air flow passages are restricted, thus inhibiting the inflation rate of the raft. Further, the pull lanyard on the valve is difficult to pull.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a raft inflation valve that has a low longer profile to prevent passageways from interfering with each other, and which will permit increased air flow capacity.
A further object of the invention is to provide a raft inflation valve wherein the lanyard is automatically positioned towards the direction of pull to facilitate the pulling thereof.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
A raft inflation valve has a valve body with opposite flat top and bottom surfaces. The valve body is in the shape of a hexagon and has three pairs of oppositely disposed vertical sidewalls. An internally elongated bore extends through the valve body in a direction between and parallel to the flat top and bottom surfaces.
A threaded hollow gas intake fitting extends from one flat surface of the body and communicates with a center of the bore. An elongated valve spool is slidably mounted in the bore and normally closes the gas intake fitting.
A lanyard is operatively connected within the lanyard fitting to the spool for longitudinally moving the spool in the bore to open the gas intake fitting. A lanyard fitting has a rounded or flared shoulder at its discharge end to facilitate the longitudinal movement of the spool by pulling on the lanyard even if it is pulled outwardly at an angle to the center axis of the bore.
A detachable lock element is associated with the lanyard for preventing the lanyard from moving the spool to open the gas intake fitting. A gas discharge port assembly is on the body at the end of the bore opposite the lanyard for connection to a raft to be inflated.